Halloween Special: Love Is In The Air?
by Carrot-Bunny
Summary: It's Halloween again, a time of candy and spooks and... romance? Find out how our favourite Shugo Chara! couples celebrate Halloween, and get ready for something special in the last story! *Currently discontinued*
1. Trick Or Treat!

_**Trick Or Treat!**_

"Hey, minna-san! What have you got planned for this weekend?" Yaya said as the Guardians wrapped up their meeting.

"Nothing much. What's happening this weekend anyway?" asked Kairi as he tidied a few folders on the table.

"Oh yeah! It's Halloween this weekend, right Yaya-senpai?" Rikka asked excitedly as she slung her schoolbag over her shoulder.

"And what's so special about that?" Hikaru asked as he finished putting his things into his bag and closed it.

"Well, Yaya's going trick-or-treating this weekend! In fact, Yaya's going to buy a costume now! Who wants to come along?"

"Ooh, me! I also want to go buy a costume too!" Rikka said in the same excited tone she used earlier.

Hikaru just shrugged. "Well, I'll ask my driver to pick me up later."

"Okay! Then it's settled!" Suddenly Yaya noticed that Kairi hadn't said anything about coming with them.

"Ne, iinchou! Aren't you going to buy a costume too?"

"I have better things to do than go trick-or-treating, Ace. Besides, it's something only little kids do," Kairi explained as he pushed up his glasses.

"Oh man, that's so boring! Why don't you come with us? It'll be fun!" Suddenly a bright idea flashed across Yaya's mind.

"Since most of us are going, Yaya hereby declares that the Guardians' next objective will be to go buy Halloween costumes! And since Yaya's the eldest, what Yaya says goes!" She shot a sideward glance at the Jack's Chair. "You have no protests, right iinchou?"

Kairi sighed. "Fine, I'll go."

_Later…_

"Well here we are, minna-san! This is where Yaya gets her Halloween costumes every year!" They were standing in front of a store with Halloween decorations plastered across its windows and a grinning jack-o-lantern sign with the words 'Welcome to Party Place!' on it.

Kairi stared at the sign. "A store selling party supplies?"

"Yep! It sells costumes too during Halloween, and they're the best around here!"

"Well then let's go!" Rikka cried excitedly as she dragged Hikaru with her into the store. Yaya followed her in, leaving Kairi standing alone outside.

He shrugged. "Well, it won't do any harm to just look around." Then he also went in.

_In the store…_

"Ne, Rikka-chan! Look at this angel costume, it's so cute!" Yaya said as she pointed to a costume on the rack.

Rikka stepped forward to take a closer look. "Wow, Yaya-senpai! You're right, it's totally cute! Hey, why don't you try it on?"

"Okay!" A few minutes later Yaya emerged from the dressing room wearing a white frock with a pink bow on the collar and little pink bows around the sleeves and hemline. On the back were two white wings with a bit of glitter sprinkled on them. The whole thing really did suit her.

"Wow, Yaya-senpai! You look so adorable!"

"Really? You think so? Then Yaya will have this costume!" Just then, Yaya noticed something from the corner of her eye.

"Look, Hikaru-kun! Yaya just found a perfect costume for you!" And she whipped out a wizard's costume with crescents and stars drawn all over it with glitter paint from the rack.

A few minutes later Hikaru was standing before his senpais while wearing the costume. "It looks great on you, Hikaru-kun! You should buy it!"

"I didn't bring any money with me," Hikaru said calmly.

"Oh, that's okay. Yaya will pay for both of your costumes since you're younger. Hey, Rikka-chan, have you found your costume yet?"

"Yes, Yaya-senpai!" Rikka held out a witch's robe and a pointy hat.

"Hey, it really matches Hikaru-kun's costume! The two of you will look so cute together!" Suddenly , Yaya realized that someone hadn't picked his costume yet."

"Ne, iinchou, what are you gonna buy for your costume?"

Kairi shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen anything I'd like to buy."

"Hey, that's not fair! You can't be the only one who doesn't have a costume!" Yaya protested.

"Maybe I'll just wear a cape and pretend to be a superhero." Of course, he wasn't actually going to do that. The idea might work if he was just eight, but he was now in the fifth grade, and doing that would be a huge embarrassment.

"Alright, suit yourself." Then Yaya led the two younger Guardians to the counter to pay for their costumes.

Kairi was just about to follow her when he noticed something hanging in a corner of the store. He stopped, then turned around and took the costume off the rack.

Later, Yaya and the others were about to leave the store when Kairi came running up to them. "Sorry to make you wait, minna-san!"

Yaya noticed that he was holding a shopping bag from the store. "Eh, iinchou, you finally found the costume you wanted? What is it?"

Kairi just smiled mysteriously. "It's a surprise."

That night, Yaya and the two other Guardians stood on the porch of her house waiting for Kairi to arrive. Finally Yaya gave up. "Maybe Kairi-kun didn't want to come after all. Come on, let's go!"

They had just stepped onto the sidewalk when a dark shadow jumped out in front of them. The shadow lifted his head, and Yaya saw who it was.

"Kairi-kun! You're dressed as a ninja? And where are your glasses?"

"I used contacts," Kairi explained as he walked alongside them.

"Well, since you're late, I'll have to run through the plan with you." Yaya then produced a piece of paper out of nowhere.

"There's a plan?" Kairi was amazed that such a trivial thing as trick-or-treating needed a step-by-step plan.

"Of course!" Yaya pointed to the piece of paper, which showed a map of the surrounding neighbourhood.

"You and Hikaru-kun will take the two streets to the east, while Rikka-chan and I will take the two streets to the west. We'll meet back here at my house in an hour. Got it?"

"Yes." Kairi was rather surprised that Yaya was able to plan out their route with such detail.

"Alright then. Let's go Rikka-chan!" And the little witch and not-so-little angel ran off, leaving their fellow Guardians standing alone under a streetlamp.

Kairi shrugged, then took Hikaru's hand. "Come on then, Hikaru-dono."

An hour later, they met in front of Yaya's house again. Rikka proudly showed them her bulging bag. "Yaya-senpai and I got a lot of candy!"

Hikaru showed them his own bag, which was bigger than Rikka's. "We got some candy too."

Rikka's eyes widened at the sight of the bag. "Wow! People must really like little wizards."

As Rikka and Hikaru went into the house to count their candy, Kairi turned to Yaya. "Why did you let them come back first?"

"Because they're little kids. They can't stay outside for too long," Yaya explained.

"Oh." Kairi smiled at her thoughtfulness. "You really did think of everything, Ace."

Yaya blushed slightly at his compliment. "Oh, it's nothing. Back where I was their age Kukai-senpai and the other Guardians always told me that when we went trick-or-treating together and I had to head home first. Now that I'm the eldest here, I thought I should do the same."

Kairi didn't say anything, but just continued to stare at her, thinking how much she had matured from the first time he met her.

Yaya immediately felt a bit uncomfortable. "So then… let's go hit a few more houses before calling it quits!" And she took off again, pulling Kairi with her.

As they walked down the empty street Kairi noticed how quiet it was. It was a bit eerie, what with it being so late and all. Apparently Yaya noticed it too, for she squeezed his hand tighter.

Suddenly an owl hooted and Yaya jumped at the sound. She held Kairi's hand even tighter, while saying in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper, "I think we'd better go home now, Kairi-kun."

Just then the bushes beside them rustled violently. Yaya gave a squeal of fright and put both her arms around Kairi. He held her tight while chara-changing automatically and pointing his wooden katana at the rustling bushes.

The bushes rustled even more, and suddenly from among them poked out… a camera? It was immediately followed by Kukai's laughing face. "Oh my goodness, you should have seen yourselves! It was so cute!"

Both the angel and the ninja were annoyed. "Ne, Kukai-senpai, you're so mean!"

Kukai laughed even more. "Okay, okay, I won't disturb you guys any more. Have a good evening!" he called as he set off down the road.

Kairi slowly let go of Yaya. "Let's go home, Yaya."

"Okay." As they walked together toward her house she didn't say anything, but inside she had a funny feeling. _He didn't call me Ace. Or Yaya-senpai. He just called me… Yaya._

The next day two envelopes appeared on the table in the Royal Garden mysteriously. "Hey, what's this?" Yaya asked as she held one of them out to Kairi, who was the only other Guardian to have arrived.

Kairi took the envelope from her, then read the writing on the top. "It says 'To the new couple of the Royal Garden'." His face immediately turned a bright shade of red, as did Yaya's.

"What's going on?" called a voice from the other end of the Royal Garden, and Kairi quickly put the envelope into his pocket.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Hikaru-dono."

That afternoon after school, Kairi sat on his bed smiling at the photo in his hand. Just then his cellphone rang.

"Hello, Yaya?"

"Hey, Kairi-kun, have you seen what was in your envelope?"

"Yes."

"So, erm… what do you think of it?"

He smiled again. "I think it's fine."

"Really? You're not mad or anything?"

"No."

"Oh… okay." Then there was a silence on the other end of the line.

"Yaya?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking me with you to go trick-or-treating last night. I really enjoyed it."

Yaya blushed as she sat on her bed, holding the receiver of the phone tightly in her hand. "Oh, well… you're welcome, Kairi-kun."

"Would you like to get together again sometime and do, em, something together?"

She blushed even more, but then smiled. "I'll love to. I hang to hang up now. Bye."

"Bye." He heard a click on the other end, then also hung up. At that moment, his sister knocked on his door.

"Come in."

"I'm going out now. You stay home and don't get in trouble, okay?" Just then she noticed something odd about her little brother. "Hey, why are you grinning like that?"

"Oh, for no particular reason. Just thinking about trick-or-treating." She was a bit confused, but didn't ask any further.

After his sister had left he took out the photo and looked at it again. In it he was holding her tightly against himself while pointing a wooden katana at the camera. He put it away, knowing that he would treasure it for ever, and also that a note of thanks to Kukai was in order.

**Yay, it's my first Shugo Chara fanfic! I wanted to do a few short stories about how every couple celebrates Halloween, and I've finally finished the first one. I did Kaiya first because it was the first one I thought of and also because I'm a big fan of it (it's just so cute!). The other stories will be posted soon and I hope to finish this by next week. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think of it!**

**Disclaimer: Carrot-Bunny does not own Shugo Chara! or any of its characters, but wishes she did.**


	2. Of Spirits, Seances And Shooting Stars

_**Of Spirits, Séances And Shooting Stars**_

"What do you mean, you can't watch Rima tonight?" Mrs Mashiro shouted into the phone.

"So it just so happened that you had to go into town to see a client on the same night I had to go to a conference? How do you think I can believe that?"

Rima sat on the sofa hugging her knees. She really didn't want her parents to quarrel even after they had separated. She felt like she was a burden to them, hindering their lives and keeping them apart from each other. She didn't like this at all.

Mrs Mashiro finally hung up and put the receiver back onto its holder. "Rima, don't you have any friends that you can stay over with for the night?"

Rima thought hard. _Well, Amu lives nearby, but I remember she said something about having plans with Tadase tonight. And today's Halloween, so Yaya would probably be out trick-or-treating with the other Guardians. I can't stay at her house either. So, what should I do?_

Just then, the doorbell rang. Mrs Mashiro went to get the door, and came back telling Rima that one of her friends had come to see her.

Rima walked towards the door, wondering who it could be. Surely not Amu or Yaya, for they wouldn't call on her at this time of the day. She stopped in front of the door, and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Na-Nadeshiko?"

"Hello, Rima-chan!" Nadeshiko greeted her.

"What… what are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you whether you'd like to sleep over at my house tonight." Nadeshiko smiled at her, then turned to her mother. "Is that alright, Mrs Mashiro-san?"

Mrs Mashiro smiled back at her. "Why, of course! I'm sure Rima would be happy to stay over at your house for the night!" Rima stared at her, surprised that she would agree so readily.

"Would you mind if you just waited for a few minutes, Nadeshiko-san? Rima needs to get her overnight bag ready." And Rima soon found herself in her bedroom helping her mother pack her bag.

"Mama, are you really going to let me stay the night at her house?" This was actually the first time her mother had let her go to her friend's house, for she had always refused such invitations before.

"Well, why not? Nadeshiko-san seems like a nice girl, and no one is at home to watch you anyway. If she was the one who invited you, then why refuse?"

"Oh." Rima didn't say anything after that, but inside she was a bit excited. _This is my first time staying over at a friend's house. I wonder what it's going to be like?_

Then Nadeshiko's face appeared in her mind, and she remembered something. _Wait… Nadeshiko is actually Nagihiko, so why would he invite a girl to stay over at his house? What is he planning?_

Within a few minutes she was standing outside the house with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder, waving goodbye to her mother. "Take care of yourself, Rima! I'll come in the morning to pick you up!"

"Goodbye, Mama!" Then she ran to catch up with Nadeshiko, who had already started walking off.

"So… why did you invite me over anyway?"

Nadeshiko just smiled. "You'll see."

Soon they arrived at Nadeshiko's house, an old traditional Japanese-style house that looked as if it was more than a century old. To the right of the ornate doorway hung a plague with the words 'Fujisaki House' written on it in delicate calligraphy. Below the plague was the doorbell.

Nadeshiko reached out her hand and pressed the doorbell, and soon one of the double wooden doors opened. Then to Rima's surprise, a white face with big frightening eyes and horns poked out of the door!

"Auntie, I'm back!" Nadeshiko said cheerfully.

A pair of hands took off the white face from the head, revealing the face of a kindly old woman. "Oh, it's you bocchama!" She turned to Rima, who wore a shocked expression on her face. "And this must be Rima-san! Welcome to the home of the Fujisaki family!"

"Oh, erm, thank you auntie." Rima was still unable to get over the shock of seeing that ghastly mask. Seeing that she still had that shocked expression, the old woman quickly explained. "Oh, I only wear the mask to scare off pesky salesmen. I didn't mean any harm. Here, I'll help you take your bag!"

Rima handed her bag to the old woman, then followed Nadeshiko into the house. They walked down a long corridor with traditional wooden sliding doors on both sides. "Who was that old woman?"

"Oh, that's our live-in housekeeper. We always call her 'auntie'," Nadeshiko explained.

Rima's eyes widened in amazement. She had never seen a live-in housekeeper before. _The Fujisaki's must be a big household,_ she thought.

They stopped in front of one of the sliding doors. 'Would you mind waiting outside for a while, Rima-chan? I have to change." Then Nadeshiko slipped into the door and closed it after her.

A few minutes later, Nagihiko emerged from the door. "Sorry to make you wait, Rima-chan. Come, let me show you my room." Then he opened the door for her to enter.

When Rima entered the room, she looked around and saw that Nagi's room was very tidy. There was a wardrobe and a study desk against one wall, while another had a set of paper-screen windows built into it. The middle of the room remained empty, and she could see two mattresses in the corner.

"This is where I'm going to sleep tonight?"

"Yes." They stood in the room for a few seconds, then he led her out. "Come on, we have something to do."

As they walked down the same corridor he explained to her some of his family's history. "The Fujisaki family have run a traditional Japanese dancing school for generations. The house doubles as classrooms for the school. All children of the Fujisaki family must learn traditional Japanese dance from young."

"Oh. So that's why you dressed up as a girl before." She had already guessed the answer before, but having him explain it to her was better.

Nagi nodded. "Yep. By the way, you wouldn't mind keeping it a secret for a while longer, right?"

She smirked. "So that's why you got so close to me all of a sudden, eh?" _Boys are so predictable,_ she thought.

Then a thought struck her. "Hey, did you sleep in the same room as Amu when she slept over in your house?"

Nagi stared at her. "How did you know that?"

"Oh, Amu mentioned before that she once slept over at _Nadeshiko's _house."

"Uh, yeah," he stammered. "It wasn't that big a deal at the time."

"Oh, well. I don't mind anyway. Just as long as you don't make any sudden moves on me during the night." Then she ran forward, leaving him behind.

He stood there for a few seconds staring after her, then shrugged and ran to catch up.

The corridor led to a courtyard that was rather like an indoor open-air garden, with rooms and corridors opening off from its sides. There was a big cherry-blossom tree in the middle of the courtyard, and a lot of people were gathered around it, lighting incense sticks and placing them in holders all around the tree.

Rima stared at the scene, not knowing what to make of it. "Um, Nagihiko, what's going on?"

Nagi smiled. "That's why I invited you over today." He led her to the front of the crowd, where a woman was lighting an incense stick.

"Mother, this is Rima-chan, the girl I said I would bring over today."

The woman, who was dressed in a traditional kimono, turned around and smiled at the two of them. "Ah, so you are Rima-san! Nagihiko had said a lot about you."

Rima bowed politely. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs Fujisaki."

"The pleasure is all mine, Rima-san. Come and light an incense stick."

She handed a lighted incense stick to Rima, then gave Nagi one too. Nagi took the stick from his mother, then bowed down to the cherry-blossom tree while murmuring under his breath.

Feeling curious, Rima did the same, except she didn't murmur. Then they both placed the incense sticks in the holder in front of them. Nagi then led her away from the courtyard back towards the house.

As they walked down the corridor again Rima asked, "What was that all about?"

"The cherry-blossom tree in the courtyard has been around for a long time, even longer than the house. Our ancestors believed that a spirit lived in the tree and blessed the students of the dancing school with graceful characteristics and gentle movements, helping them in their performances. So every year at the end of October, we would light incense sticks and offer fruit and flowers to the spirit so that she would continue to bless us all."

Rima nodded her head in understanding. "So, that ceremony back there… was a séance?"

"Erm… not exactly. It's more like paying homage to her in return for another year of blessings and happiness in this house."

"Oh." Rima had no idea the Fujisaki family had such traditions. "Amu never mentioned anything about this when she told me about her sleepover at your house."

"She just happened to miss the day of the ceremony," Nagi explained.

"Now then, would you like to take a bath first before we go to sleep?"

"Fair enough. And don't touch my stuff while I'm not around, okay?"

"You can trust me."

"No, I can't."

"…"

_In the middle of the night…_

Nagi opened his eyes, then turned to his side to check on Rima, who was sleeping at the other end of the room. He actually planned to have both their mattresses in the middle of the room next to each other, as he did with Amu, but she had insisted on sleeping at the other side of the room, claiming it was 'much safer'.

He smiled. He didn't really expect Rima to trust him that much, seeing as she knew he wasn't really honest at times. He was thankful to her for keeping his secret, but sometimes he wished they would be able to get along better as friends. _Oh well_, he thought as he got up from his bed and headed for the door. _She's a stubborn girl. It takes time for her to change._

As he walked down the silent and dark corridor, he remembered how he had been scared to go to the bathroom alone at night when he was younger. He also remembered how Amu said she had seen a walking doll cross the corridor the time she stayed over. _It's alright, _he thought as he shrugged his shoulders. _It's just a superstition. There is really nothing scary about this old house._

_Is there?_

Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. He stopped, and the footsteps stopped too. He continued walking, and the footsteps sounded again. He tried to ignore it, but the more he thought about it, the more he was frightened. _It can't be… the walking doll?_

He stopped again, bracing himself. Then he turned around abruptly, his fist outstretched and ready to hit anything that threatened him. However, as soon as his eyes set on what was following him, the fist withered immediately.

"What's wrong? Afraid of something?"Rima smirked.

"Oh, it's just you Rima-chan." Nagi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Hey, why don't you go back and have some sleep?"

Rima said nothing, but just stared at him, making him a bit uncomfortable. "Um… Rima-chan?"

"You don't have to hide it anymore. I already know."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Rima smiled gently. "When Amu told me about her sleepover at your house, she mentioned how she had got up in the middle of the night to find you practising your traditional dance. She said you practised every day, and had to make up for the lost time during the night just so she could stay over. I thought that you had to do the same for me."

Nagi's bewildered expression softened into a smile. "Oh. So she saw me that night, didn't she?"

Rima nodded. "I know you don't have to do this for me, but you did. And I'm really thankful for it." She smiled again, this time even brighter than before.

_She's actually accepting me now, _thought Nagi in amazement.

"Well, I'm happy you liked it. However, that's not the real reason I got up."

Rima looked confused. "It's not?"

"No. In fact, today is one of the few days of the year when I don't have dance practice. I just got up to see something."

Rima was feeling curious now. "Really? What is it?"

"Come. I'll show you." And he led her towards the same courtyard they had visited during the day.

The incense sticks and holders had been cleared away, leaving small piles of fruit and flowers around the tree. They both sat down under the tree between two piles of fruits, and he motioned for her to be quiet.

"Shh. Now look up."

She did, and almost immediately a star shot across the sky.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. She had never seen a shooting star before. It was really magical.

He smiled at her. "Do you like it?"

She smiled back. "Yes! This is the best sleepover ever!"

"Good," he replied, then they were silent as they watched the night sky together under the cherry-blossom tree.

**Gomenasai, minna-san! It turns out I wasn't able to post this in time after all! I'm really sorry! However, I will try to finish this fanfic before the end of****this month, so don't give up on me yet! Til next time!**

**Disclaimer: Carrot-Bunny does not own Shugo Chara! or any of its characters, but wishes she did.**


	3. The Facts About Friends

_**The Facts About Friends**_

On the sidewalk, a blond girl with her long hair tied up in two ponytails tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her friend. She glanced at her watch every few minutes, then turned to stare ahead with an annoyed expression on her face. He was the one who had asked her to meet him here about half an hour ago, and now he was running late for something he'd planned himself.

Finally she could see him running towards her. He stopped in front of her, panting hardly and clearly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late," he panted.

She snorted. "And you were the one who wanted me to be on time to meet you here. Where have you been?"

"I was at soccer practice just now and had to run all the way home to change and pick this up." He held out a camera.

"What for?" She was a bit confused why he needed a camera.

"The mall is having a talent show in conjunction with Halloween, and my friend who's an editor at the school newspaper asked me to get some pictures of it for next week's issue because their photographer's on vacation and won't be around. I have to hand in the pictures tomorrow."

"So basically I was dragged out of my nice warm home to dash around a shopping mall with you for a favour to your friend which, by the way, I don't know when I could have been snuggling up in my comfy couch with a cup of hot cocoa watching a rented horror movie and spending my Halloween night alone, which is how I like it?" she asked as they walked down the sidewalk towards the mall.

"Yup. Isn't that nice?" he grinned as they arrived at the entrance of the mall.

"Oh, I'm sure it is," she said sarcastically as they went in.

They headed to the stage in the middle of the shopping mall, which was usually used for special events like concerts, performances, and also talent shows. The whole place was decorated for Halloween. Miniature bats hung from the ceiling and there were more than a few carved pumpkins placed around the stage.

Kukai groaned as he saw the number of people that were there. "Oh, man! I'll never be able to get a good view of the stage from here. And I wanted to help my friend out by giving him some cool shots for the front page!"

Utau smirked. "Well, you were one who agreed to do it, not me. You figure something out."

As Kukai scratched his head in frustration, Utau turned to check out the stage. She noticed a lot of people dressed in all sorts of Halloween costumes hanging around backstage. "Hey, are those the backstage crew or something?"

"No, they're the performers. The organizer set a Halloween theme for the talent show."

"Oh." She checked out the performers' costumes one by one. There were a fair number of witches, ghosts and vampires, with a few fairies and other kinds of costumes here and there. Suddenly one of the performers caught her eye.

"Hey Kukai, follow me!" And she dragged him towards the backstage.

As they got closer to the performer, who was dressed as a devil, she saw her turn her head towards their direction. Her expression immediately changed to a look of recognition.

'U-Utau-chan?"

"Yuiko-chan! It's you!" And the two embraced each other as if they were long-lost friends.

Kukai stood at the side, looking bewildered. "What… what's going on?"

Utau laughed and turned to her friend. "This is my former classmate Yuiko. She and I used to be best friends in elementary school. However, we went to different high schools afterwards, so we haven't seen each other since graduation. It's so good to see you again!" she gushed excitedly as she grasped her friend's hand tightly.

"And you too! I never expected to see you here! Are you here to watch the talent show?"

"Actually, I was dragged here by someone who wanted company while doing a favour for his friend," she said as she gestured to Kukai, who immediately let his annoyance show.

Yuiko giggled, then leaned towards Utau. "Looks like you've hooked a hot one," she whispered before exploding into a fit of giggles.

Utau blushed slightly. "Looks like you haven't changed at all, Yuiko-chan."

"You too." She smiled at her. "So what's the favour your friend had to do?"

"He needs to get pictures of the talent show, but he can't get a good view. And no wonder, considering he was late."

Kukai now wished he hadn't brought Utau along. "Okay, okay, I already apologized for that."

"Well, I'm not letting you forget anytime soon." Utau then turned to Yuiko. "So what's your performance?" 

"I'm teaming up with a classmate. She's gonna sing, and I'm playing the electric piano."

"Great idea! I remembered you were pretty good with instruments back in elementary school. So where your classmate?" Utau asked as she looked around.

"I dunno. But she should be here anytime soon."

Meanwhile, Kukai had been checking out the backstage. Suddenly he pointed to a space close to the stage. "Hey, what's that for?"

"Oh, it's for the press," Yuiko explained.

Then an idea struck Kukai's mind. "Hey, my friend gave me a photographer's pass. I thought it didn't do anything, but do you think it can get me a seat there?"

"Sure!"

"Alright!" Kukai exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air. "Come on Utau, let's go get some good places."

"Fine," Utau replied, then she turned to Yuiko. "We'll watch out for your performance, okay?"

"No problem! See you later!" Then she watched Utau and Kukai leave the backstage.

Five minutes later, the two of them were sitting up front waiting for the show to start. Kukai pretended to kiss his pass. "Who knew a plastic card was so powerful?"

Utau shook her head as she watched his antics, then turned to watch the stage. Suddenly from the corner of her eye she could see her friend walking towards them.

"Yuiko, what's wrong?"

'My classmate just called and told me she couldn't make it! She's got the flu!" Yuiko cried in desperation.

"What am I gonna do, Utau-chan? I've already registered our act as one electric piano player and one singer! And I don't have a singer!"

"Who said you didn't have a singer?" Utau smiled at her friend. "You've got me, and that's all you need!"

"Really? Thanks, Utau-chan!" Then Yuiko hesitated for a while before asking, "Um… you don't happen to have brought a Halloween costume with you, do you?"

Utau smacked her forehead in realization. "Oh my gosh! I forgot about the Halloween theme!" She turned to Kukai. "Hey, got any ideas?"

"Well, you were one who agreed to do it, not me. You figure something out." Kukai said without looking back.

"Come on, I'm serious!" Finally she sighed. "Okay, I apologize for saying that before. Now would you help me out?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" Kukai smiled at her. "I'll tell you how…"

_Later…_

"And for the next act, put your hands together for Yuiko Okinawa and Utau Hoshina with 'Labyrinth Butterfly'!" the emcee announced.

The audience was immediately abuzz with excitement. "Did she just say Utau Hoshina?" "Utau-chan is performing?" "I can't believe it! I'm going to see Utau-chan live!"

The lights on the stage darkened, then the sounds of an electric piano could be heard from the stage, playing the intro of the song.

Then suddenly a spotlight shone on the girl in the middle of the stage, and she started to sing.

_Open your shiny eyes in the silent night_

_A strange night has befallen you_

_With footsteps crawling behind you_

_And the sluggish pose of a black cat_

The audience screamed loudly in excitement as their idol sang while wearing a never-before-seen costume. She had on a red dress with small black stripes running down it and large red boots. Around her neck was a bat-shaped choker attached with a silver cross. She also had bat wings on her back and bat wing hairclips in her hair.

Kukai smiled as he quickly took a few shots. He had the idea of having Utau use her character transformation 'Lunatic Charm' as a costume on the spur of the moment, and he now considered it one of the best ideas he ever had. _The school newspaper would love this, _he thought as he snapped a last picture before stopping to check out the shots he'd taken.

_Don't stare at it, don't grab it_

_It's just a drifting butterfly_

_The prayer clad into the flying invisible wings_

_Are you hiding it deep within your heart_

As the song ended, the crowd went crazy with applause. Utau and Yuiko took a joint bow, then retreated backstage. Kukai put down his camera and put it into his pocket, then headed backstage to pick Utau up.

After the show ended, the two of them walked home together. "So, how do you feel?"

"I must've signed a thousand autographs after the show was over. However, it felt good to know that there are so many people out there who love my songs."

Kukai laughed out loud. "What are you laughing at?"

"Either you have a big ego or you're a total workaholic. I wasn't talking about your performance just now."

"Then what?"

"I was asking how you felt after helping out your friend. You know, after you decided just there and then. Without thinking about whether it was the appropriate time or anything."

Utau was silent for a while. Finally she spoke up. "To be honest, it felt really good. It's not something I normally do, doing something without thinking it through, but it felt great knowing that I was able to help out."

Kukai smiled. "Yeah. That's what helping a friend feels like. You can't really explain it, but you feel great for some reason. That's the power of friendship."

Utau stared at him as he said that. "Wow. Who knew you were a genius at dealing with friends?"

He shrugged. "It's just a gift. And speaking of friends," he quickly pushed her behind a tree. "Wait here. I have something to do."

Utau stood there and watched him duck into a nearby bush. _What in the world is he doing?_ She thought. Then she heard footsteps up ahead. She peered from behind the tree at the two figures walking down the road.

_Wait. Isn't that Yaya of the Guardians? And the boy… is that Sanjo-san's younger brother? His name was Kairi, right? What are they doing here at this time of the night?_

She answered her own question right away as she took a look at their attire. Apparently they had been trick-or-treating, and were probably out to score some more candy before calling it a night.

As they passed by the bush Kukai had ducked into, it suddenly started shaking furiously. She saw Yaya squeal in fright and throw her arms around Kairi. Kairi held her tightly againsthim while chara-changing almost instantly and pointing a katana at the bush. Then a camera suddenly popped out, followed by Kukai's laughing face.

"Ne, Kukai-senpai, you're so mean!"

"Okay, okay, I won't disturb you guys any more. Have a good evening!" he called as he walked towards the tree she was hiding behind.

He waited till the other two were out of sight, then said, "Okay, you can speak now."

"Is that how you treat your friends? You know, taking pictures of them with a companion of a different gender when they least expect it?"

"Hey, it's called payback. Back when I was still a Guardian with Yaya and the rest, she loved to snap photos of me with some girl I was chatting to. She always tried to use those pictures to blackmail me, saying she'd leak out my 'secret crush' if I didn't follow her bidding."

Utau raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is that so? And what are you gonna do with the pictures you caught of them?"

Kukai smiled mischievously. "All I can say is, someone's getting a surprise envelope tomorrow."

"You get a kick out of doing this, don't you?"

"Yep."

"You're such a kid." No sooner had the words left her mouth than she felt his lips brush against hers.

"You said it, and now here's your punishment." Then he kissed her again.

As they broke apart, she saw that he was smiling at her. "You just love to do that, don't you?"

"Be honest. You liked it too." And they set off down the road together, heading for home.

**Phew, third chapter's finally done! I've seen your reviews minna-san, and thank you all for them! The next chapter's gonna be Tadamu, and I know some of you don't like it, but just read it first and judge me later, okay? I promise you won't regret it!**

**P.S.: This chapter has a tie-in with the first one, have you noticed it?**

**Disclaimer: Carrot-Bunny does not own Shugo Chara! or any of its characters, but wishes she did.**


	4. DISCONTINUED

**Due to lack of interest and creativity, this fanfic has been discontinued. We apologize for any inconveniences and hope you will support us still. Comments are welcomed.**

**P.S.: I might continue this fanfic during the next Halloween, so don't give up on me yet, okay? Thanks for all your support so far and hope to see you soon!**


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